Elastic fluid generator



Aug 13, 1935. y L. A. sHELDoN 2,011,423

y ELASTIC FLUID GENERATOR Filed April 5, 1953 2 Sheets-sheet 1 .His Attorney Aug- 13, 1935. L. A. sHELDoN 2,011,423

ELAS TI C FLUID GENERATOR Filed April 5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ihvehtor: Luciah Aheldoh,

His Attor'he.

Patented Aug. 13, 1935 y y y AUlylrlelo STATES PATENT `oi=ri-cgj Lucian Sheldon,v Schcnectadm'N. .Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of A New York Application April 5, 1933, Serial No. 664,537 2 claims. (ci. 12e- 250) The present 4invention relates to elastic fluid Parallel A perspective View of One 0f theelepower plants in which elastic fluid is produced ments is Shown in Fig- 3 and their Connections; in an elastic fluid generator and its available 110 eaeh Other iS ShOWh'ih Fig. 7 rEach' element heat energy consumed in a prime mover whence (Fig.A 3 and Fig. 6) has an outerA Wall I4 and an 5 it is returned through a condenser to the elastic infiel Wall l5 0f Corrugateilsheet metal. y The 5 nuid generator. More specifically, the invention two Shoots are placed together with the oorrueae. relates to the kind of power plantsV in which tions opposite each other and the engaging pormeroury 1iquid is used as an Operating fluid. a1- tions la between thecorrugations arek sealed byl though it is not necessarily limited thereo. y Soldering 01. StitCh-Welding. The" ends I1 of the .lo The object of the present invention is to pro- CYhhdroally-Shaped body are completely united i l vide an improved construction and arrangement Suell aS by Welding. The channels iydefined for lan elastic fluid power plant whereby a com'- by the corrugationsterminateahead of the united.y paratively small amount of liquid is needed for ends il and Communicate With ea@ll other.. `operating the `plant` l through the portions I9 and `v20 respectively of i151 For a consideration of what I-believe to ber lille bOClV The DOliiOIi I9 iS provided With all 15" novel and my invention, attention is directed inlet COIldui 2l and the pUYtiOIl 20 With a diS- to the following description and the claims ap- Cha-ige COYlflui? 22- ThllS'eaCll 0f these elements! pended thereto, in connection with the accom- Tepieeeliie a body With a plurality Ofpalallel panying drawings. channels `or paths for fluid connected to a com-` In the drawings, Fig. l represents an elastic m0n inlet @enduit 2l and a COmmOIl discharge 20"v fluid power plant embodying my invention; Figs. Conduit 22 respectively: A plurality 0f 'heating 2, 3, and 4 are detailed views of certain parts elements are placed `above each other andv their of Fig. `1; Fig. 5 isa diagrammatic illustration engaging edges are sealed or united by Welds of Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 3; 23 (Fig. 1).

25 'Figs. 7 and 8 areA connection diagrams of certain Referring t0 Fig- 7. Which iS a COIlIieCiiOu dii-i I 25 parts of Fig. 1; Fig. 9 shows a modification of agiam 0f the elements fOTmiIlg thev inner nest the part shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 10 represents of ytubes H, the uppermost heating element4 24|"` .a modified form of a powerplant in accordance is connected to a second heating element 25A by with mymventiom p means of .a conduit. The succeeding two ele-1y In. accordance with my invention I provide an ments 2l and 28 havekv inlet conduits 29 and 30 -3 T. elastic fluid generator which comprises a nest TeSDeGiJiVelY Connected in parallel t0 the discharge i of tubes having a surface dening a combustion 00P-duit Si 0f the element 25. `The' discharge' space and exposed to radiant' heat, and a con- ConduitA 32 Of element 28`is` coilnected tor thev duction surface which together with a furnace ihlet @enduit 0f element 33`aIidthejdiSQl'ia1ge .Wall or another nest of heating tubes denesaJ conduit'ail of element 2l is connected to the 35 'i conduction or gas' chamber communicating with inlet conduit 0f the element 35- The Succeeding the combustion chamber. v'Ihecomloustible mathree elements 35,37. and 38l1aVe their inlet terial is burned within the combustion chamber conduits 39 and their outlet conduitsv All reT andthe regases are conducted from the com- SlieCVelY eOiIleCted: ih Parallel', lille ,inlet CQn-V f .40 bustion chamber through the gas chamber. The i CluitS 39 llOeiIig COiiIleCied viOf the `lltleiu(501i.-v 40- nestor tubes comprises .a vplurality of heating eleduits ofthe elements 33 andx35,` and the outlet x ments which are preierably'located above each `conduitsfllt being connected to vanothernest ofA other and connected in seriesv or series parallel heating tubes which will be describedy hereafter.1 to Vdefine channels extending substantially in During operation, iiuid'is forced through theser y horizontal planes and containing liquid to be heating elements. Moraspeciflcally, liquidlis 45.5'

' heated and evaporated. The preferred form of supplied to the inlet ofthe first heating elementV such .a nest of tubes is that of a cylinder with 24 and as theliquid expands'andi partly vaporizes" a circular, elliptical, or any desirable cross section. in the first element or elements it is dividedinto In Fig. 1, I have shown an elastic fluid power parallel paths in the succeeding elements. Thusv plant which comprises a furnace l0 and a nest the' nest of tubes denes a channel branching 50 ofl tubes |I`.l The furnace has a brick wall l2 into a plurality of channels as regards thedirec` and an arch or ceiling I3 which in the present i tion of ow of fluid, the number of parallel chan-` instance serves to support or carry the nest of nels or branches increases from the inlettowards tubes H. The nestfof tubes comprises a pluthe outlet, orv from another angle, the nest/of 'ralityof 4heating elements connected in 'series tubes rdeiines a channel structurei-withva'total 55 cross sectionalarea of the path for the fluid increasing from the inlet towards the outlet of the structure.

Concentrically arranged about the inner nest of tubes are two other nests of tubes, of which each comprises a plurality of elements similar "heating the Yfluid received from the inner nest of necessarily superheat the elastic iluid passed through it butmerely raisesthe temperature of` to those described above, but of larger diameter. A number of these elements u serves .for heating T'and`V inl certain cases super-heating the elastic iuidvproducedV` in the inner-'nest of tubes,v vand the rest of the elements serve to preheat th liquid to be evaporated. Y The two lower elements 4I and 42 of the intermediate nest of tubes 43 (Fig. 1)v and the two lowl er elements 44 and 45 of the outer nest'of tubes 46 are connected in paral1e1,-`fthe inlets of' the four elements being connected to a conduit 48 and the outlets to a conduit` 49.` The groupof elements thus formed receives fluid from the last group of elements (36, 31, 38) of the inner nest of tubes. To this end the conduit48 is connected tocondu'it 40, in lsubstance forms a continuation offthe latter, and the conduit 49 for discharging the elastic lfluid is connected to arcontainer or tubes. In'view ofthis I may termthe group of theffour- -parallel#connectedp elements a superheater, though this yterm has to be taken in its broadermeaning since the s'uperheater does not c the elastic ffluid.

,"The up'per three elements 5|, 52, and 53 of the intermediate group are connected in series byfconduits V54 and 55. lThethree upper heat` v ing elements ofthe routernestoftubes56, 51, and

'pipes 6I and 62 (Figs. l; and 8). The group ar- 58"are"similarlylconnected in series by conduits 59 and 60. These elements form two groups which are connected in parallel by conduits or rangement of the three upper 'elements of the intermediate'and the outer nest of tubes serves as apreheater of liquid ltoy be evaporated, The liquidf is suppliedV to the preheater through the "conduit 6I and discharged from Vthe prkeheater thrii'gh' the conduit-s2.

ci The` threecombinations lof elements above 1de- -scribed form in substance a boiler, a superheater,

and a preheater, of which the boiler is defined by 'the inner nest-of heating elements, the superheaterP by the two lower heating Yelements'of both thefintermediate and the outer nest of tubes,- andcthe preheaterby-the three upper elements of both theintermediate and the-outer nest of tubes.-

l Anothernheatingelement 63 which=may bei termed-avdisk heating element, is provided near the bottom'V oi-v the furnace. vThis heating ele-V .65 l' ralityof` corrugations-BS vrunning parallel to eachk 70.;v edges of" the two sheets, are welded together. The

ment (Figsflfand .4) is` made of `two corrugated annularY plates 64V and.65. Each plate has apluother'and a. circumferential corrugation B1. The two corrugated sheets'arevunited with thecorrugationsopposite eachother .and the portions interndiate thecoxrugations, as well asthefout'er pfirul' LCofrugfonshfls "orm @a plurality 0f parallel channels which at their ends communicatewith each other through a channeldefined byfthwircumrerential, corrugativns- VThe circumferential channel is connected to an "inlet' conduit 68 and a diametrically opposed portion of the circumferential channel is connected to an outlet conduit 59. The direction of the Iiow of fluid passed through this heating element is indicated by arrows (Fig. 4). f f

Referring now to Fig. 5 where I have Ashown a c diagrammaticV Yillustrationwof the `pgn/ver plant of Fig. 1, the boiler comprisingthe 'inner nest of tubes II has an inlet conduit-1Q connected to the drum 50 through a conduit 12 includinga pumping means 13 with a suction conduit 93: The outlet conduit of the inner nest of tubes I I is connected tothe superheater v14 from which the fluid is discharged through' the conduit 48 to the drum 50. The heating element 63 is connected in parallel to the boiler II and the superheater 14,*that is,itsi nletconduit 88 is connected to the conduit steady` circulation offiluid throgh the yheating elements of the boiler I I, the superheater1-14 and l,12 and fits outlet conduit 69 is connected to the.V

conduit 49.- The pump 13 serves to maintain a 20 the disk heating-element 63.` The elastic luiddis-fy 5 charged yfrom the conduitg49 into the drum 50 is conductedto aconsuiner, in the present instance shown as an elasticfluid turbine 16 connected to the drum 5I) by means of a conduit 11. The ex`- .i haust elastic'iluid of the turbine condensed in a condenser 18 whence itis returned to the drum 5U through the intermediary of the vpreheater 19, the inlet conduit 6I of the preheater being connected tothe condenser `'I8 V,by a con-l r duit 15 including a condensate or'feed pump 80 for forcing the condensate through the preheater.

The outlet conduit 62 of the preheater is 'connected to the drum.' f,

During operation, a steady. circulationof elasl-VA tic iluidd through the boiler,` the superheater, and the disk heating element63 takes place. The uidheated in these elements is discharged into n the -drum 5I) whichV lacts as av separator: of Vthe liquid and the vapor, the liquid drops'to the bottom of the drum and is recirculated by meansofr the circulating pump'f13ywhereas `the Vapor is'dis.-

charged to the consumer. In thisarrangement,

two pumps are used, a, condensate or feed lpump 8l! and a circulating pump 13. -Both pumps act.

against a dischargev pressure which is alike in both cases and may be of the order tof` 500` pounds per square inch. This factmis `used in ,theconstructionof the pumps.` In accordancey with my invention VI unite-the two pumps in asingle structure with their dis-` charge sides adjacent eachother, which permits the omission of `a.,speciahpacking on the dis. charge sidesof the pumps. More specically, the

double pump 'structure in accordance with my invention comprises'a, cylindrical-member 8I, (Fig.

2.), a pump casing 82 with one `end anged to 'thecylindrical member 8Iand the other end hanged to akmember 83.r Both pumpshave a `common shaft-84 with a reduced end portion 85 to which are; fastened 'two impellers 86 and 81. The shoulderS defining the reduced shaft portion, anda' screw 90,`prevent axial movement of. c the impellers.

Each impeller vhas ax-hub fastened to theshaft Vand with its outer surface bearing against the inner surfaceSI of -an intermediate portion of the pump casing. yThe upper part# of the pump casing,- together with the impeller 86, forms thev feedl pump 80 and the portion lower portion of the pump casing., together with` v the impeller 81,` forms the circulating -.p11 n ip,13.` c Fluid is conducted toA the feed pump throughthe conduit 15 and `discharged from the,-feed,pump

`the furnace wall. provided at the bottom of the furnace is similarly through the conduit 6|. Fluid is conducted to the circulating pump through the` conduit 93 and discharged through the conduit 12. The pump shaft 84y is coupled to and driven by a motor r91| (Fig. l) y As pointed out above, the various heating elements or heating nests are arranged within a furnace comprising walls I2 and the ceiling I3. The inner cylinder of the heating elements is carried bythe ceiling I 3 of the furnace, the intermediate andouter cylindersor nests of heating tubes are supported by brackets 95 fastened to The disk heating element63 supported by brackets SI5 fastened tothe furnace wall I2. Heat is radiated and conducted to the` heating elements from a source of heat 91 which may be a burner for pulverized or liquid fuel. The burner projects through the ceiling and is supported by the cover ik of outer wall or casing SS. The combustion takes place within the inner cylinder of heating elements whereby heat is radiated to the inner or radiation surface of the inner cylinder II and the upper surface of the disk heating element 63. in the combustion space escape lfrom the lower end of the inner cylinder and pass through the spaces defined between the inner cylinder, the intermediate, and the outer cylinder and the furnace wall, the direction of the ilow of heating gases being indicated by arrows. The air necessary to maintain combustion is furnished by a blower IIB@ driven by a motor IOI fastened to the ceiling 98 of the outer casing. i IIhe ,air is con- 'ductedr from the discharge conduits |03 of the blower to conduits |64 'located in the space between the furnace wall I2 and the outer casing wall 99. This space is divided by a partition |05. The furnace gases escaping through openings IIlIv at the upper portion of the furnace wallare conducted through the space between the furnace wall I2 and the casing 99 in which heat energy is transferred from the gases to the air forced through tubes |04. The air is discharged from the ends of tubes |94 through conduits |61 into the combustion space. The gases leave the furnace through a flue.

elements of this kind may be connected together to form combinations as indicated in Figs. '1 and 8.

Instead of two pumps I may provide a single pump only in which case the condensate is forced through the preheater. and from there directly through the boiler and the superheater. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. l0 in'which an elastic fluid turbine III] has an inlet connected by means of a conduit I I I to a drum I I2. `Elastic fluid is supplied from the` drum ||2 to the turbine, and the exhaust of `the turbine is condensed in a condenser ||3 whence it is conducted through a conduit ||4 and forced by means of a pump ||5 through a preheater IIB corresponding to preheater 19 of Fig. 5. From the discharge conduit ||1 of the preheater the fluid is conducted directly to a boiler comprising an inner nest of heating elements |I8 with its discharge end connected toan outer nest of heating elements or a superheater I I9 corresponding to the stem of valve |22.

The fire gases formed superheater 14 in Fig. 5. The heater |I9 has a discharge conduit |20 connected to the drum I I2.

The vapor discharged into the drum ||2 is supy connected by means of a conduit |2| to the suction conduit of the pump |I5. The conduit |2| includes a valve means |22 operated in response to level changes in the drum. This is accomplished by means of a swimmer |23 connected to The valve is closed when the liquid in the drum drops below a certain level and the valve |22 is opened as the liquid levelin the drum rises. v

The arrangement laccording to my invention permits the operation of an elastic fluid power plant with'a comparatively very small amount of liquid. This is particularly advantageous in the case of a mercury vapor power plant because the cost of the mercury forms a considerable item in the total cost of such a plant. Practically the total amount of liquid is in steady circulation, and only a small amount is contained in the drum 50.

The relatively large heating surface of the elastic iiuid generator and the forced circulation of fluid through the heating elements result in a rapid heating of the fluid and a considerable heat transfer per unit area of heating surface.

While I have described the methodA of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now considery to represent the best embodiment thereof, Idesire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means. l n

What I claim vas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. In an elastic fluid generatior, the combination of a plurality of heating elements,veach elementV comprising an inner and an outer cylindrical sheet of corrugated metal welded together to define a plurality of' parallel channels, an inlet conduit for conducting iiuid to one-end of elements being connected together and placed above eachk other to dene a combustion space, means for forcing fluid to be evaporated through the elements, and a source of` heat within the v combustion space. v

2. In an elastic fluid generator, `the combina-` tion of a plurality of heating elements, each element `comprising an inner and an outer cylindrical sheet of corrugated metal welded together t'odene a plurality of parallel channels, an inlet conduit for conducting fluid to one end of reach channel and an outlet conduit for discharging `fluid from the` other end of each channelthe elements lbeing connected together and placed above each other'to denne a combustion space, a plurality of outer heating elements concentrically spaced about the rstnamed heating elements and connected thereto to dene a` superheater, the space betweenthe inner and outer heating elements communicating with the comy bustion space, means for forcing fluid 'to be evaporated through the elements, and a source of heat in the combustion space.

` LUCIAN A. SHELDON.` 

